Podcast: How hunting is banned

I have been an editor at Outdoor living For 14 years, so I like to think I have a good idea of ​​how readers will respond to a given story. However, I was surprised by the reaction from readers last month after we published Editor-in-Chief Natalie Krebs’s extensive article about the extreme anti-hunting movement in Australia, which has parallels with anti-hunting efforts here in the U.S. The most common sentiment was “that could never happen here” sentiment after this story, which I didn’t expect — especially since at least some of it is what’s happening here.

These comments came despite our reporting on Washington State’s spring bear hunting ban, the infiltration of anti-hunter groups into state hunting commissions, and the continued decline in U.S. hunting approvals.

The Latest Animal Welfare Groups in Colorado probably got enough signatures to put a measure on the November ballot that would effectively ban regulated hunting of cougars and bobcats in the state. It is formally called Initiative 91 and reads as follows:

“THE VOTERS OF COLORADO FIND AND DECLARE THAT ANY TROPHY HUNTING OF MOUNTAIN LIONS, BOBCATS OR LYNX IS INHUMANE, SERVES NO SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE OR ENVIRONMENTALLY BENEFICIAL PURPOSE, AND DOES NOT IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY. TROPHY HUNTING IS PRIMARILY PRACTICALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISPLAYSING THE HEAD, FUR OR OTHER BODY PARTS OF AN ANIMAL, RATHER THAN FOR THE USE OF THE MEAT. FURTHERMORE, IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS CONDUCTED BY UNPRECEDENTED MEANS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE USE OF TOWERS OF DOGS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO PURSUE AND CAPTURE HEALTHY ANIMALS FROM PLACES FROM WHICH THEY CANNOT ACHIEVE ESCAPE TO REACH THE KILL. THEREFORE, IT IS APPROPRIATE AND NECESSARY TO PROHIBIT TROPHY HUNTING FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS, BOBCATS, AND LYNX IN COLORADO.”

So for this episode of the podcast I spoke with Brian Lynn, vice president of communications and marketing for the Sports Federation. Full disclosure: he is also a former Outdoor living editor with whom I have worked before.

According to Lynn, many of the ballot initiatives to ban hunting in various states over the years are not one-off, random, grassroots efforts. Rather, they are the result of a larger strategy by national anti-hunting groups. These groups target states that have favorable ballot initiative laws, large metropolitan populations that tend to vote Democratic, and regulated predator hunting and trapping, Lynn says. He paints a somewhat bleak picture of the political landscape in which hunters are the underdogs.

Read more: Public approval for hunting and recreational shooting continues to decline in the US

So if you were one of the “that can never happen here” commenters, I hope you listen to Lynn’s explanation of how these anti-hunting organizations operate and the strategic advantages they enjoy. The conversation is not meant to alarm you, but to inform you of one of the most successful processes to ban hunting.

Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.